Wright Named Naismth Men's College Coach of the Year Presented by POWERade

INDIANAPOLIS (April 2, 2006) - Villanova University head coach Jay Wright has been named the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Presented by POWERade, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. The Naismith Award, presented annually to the men's and women's college basketball coaches of the year, is the most prestigious national award in college basketball. Wright was presented the Naismith Award today at the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis. Wright will also be honored April 7 in Atlanta at the Atlanta Tipoff Club's annual Naismith banquet.

Wright was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, a collection of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, based on his coaching performance this season. Through a partnership with Cingular Wireless, fans were able to account for an unprecedented 25% of the final vote using text messaging. The results were certified by Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP.

"Coach Wright has mastered the art of getting the highest level of performance from his players," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "By finishing as co-champions in a very competitive Big East and making a great run in the tournament, coach Wright proved he deserves to hold the Naismith Award this season."

The Big East Coach of the Year, Jay Wright led Villanova to a 14-2 record in the expanded Big East, earning the school's first share of the conference regular season title since 1997.

Overall, Villanova finished the season 28-5 and reached the Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament. During the 2005-06 season, Wright's squad defeated its first top-ranked team (vs. Connecticut, Feb. 13), tied its highest national ranking (No. 2) and earned its first NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed in school history.

A college head coach for 12 seasons, Wright is 104-59 (.638) in five seasons at Villanova.

"On behalf of Coca-Cola and POWERade, I'd like to congratulate coach Wright on a truly memorable season," said Gloria Garrett, vice president of hydration, Coca-Cola Company. "We're honored to help recognize and celebrate his achievements."

This year's Naismith Award is the 20th given to recognize the men's college coach of the year. Last year's recipient was Illinois' Bruce Weber. Other past winners include Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, Dean Smith and Roy Williams.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB

The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club has presented the Naismith Trophy since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. In 1987, Indiana's Bob Knight became the first men's college coach to win the Award.

The Naismith Awards program has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the men's and women's college players, coaches and officials of the year, and the male and female high school players of the year.

ABOUT THE COCA-COLA COMPANY

The Coca-Cola Company is an NCAA Corporate Champion and partner with CBS Sports and the NCAA in an 11-year marketing and media program which includes beverage marketing and media rights to 88 NCAA championships.

Contact:

Matt Garvey, 404-586-8496
Atlanta Sports Council
mgarvey@macoc.com